30 Makeup Tricks You Need To Master By The Time You’re 30

Forget about buying a house and getting married, before you turn 30, your goal should be to become the master of the makeup brush, know the best skin care products and try a few cult beauty products. As a teenager you can get away with wearing less than perfect eyeliner because people will just assume you’re going through some punk phase (even if it is unintentional). As you get older, there is less room for raccoon smokey eyes and streaky foundation. If you can hold down a full-time job and pay your rent reasonably on time, then you should recognize that your skin color is not in fact orange, am I right? And who knows, your boss might be so impressed with your immaculate red lip he/she may decide to give you that promotion you’ve been hoping for. Maybe not, unless they have a soft spot for Revlon Cherries In The Snow lipstick, but every little bit helps. So why not buy some wardrobe essentials too?

Here are 30 makeup tricks you should know before you blow out the candles on your 30th birthday cake.

Though you can’t really tell from looking at a smoky eye, there is a careful technique to making it look expertly smudged and not like you drew around your eyes with a Sharpie. Those aforementioned brushes will come in handy here.

If you just thought, “why do I need to blend my eyeshadow?” Give this a try and you’ll see how it makes your makeup look much more professional (and helps camouflage any parts that aren’t 100% perfect)

Even if you can draw on eyeliner straighter than a ruler, it doesn’t mean anything if you are wearing the wrong colors for your skin tone. Here’s a cheat sheet to figure out what colors are best for your complexion.